'Stop!' The startled maid halted obediently in mid-step. I stood there breathing in the moisture-laden air, rich with the smell of wildflowers, wild berries, roots, and rotting vegetation. I gulped in the air through my nostrils and mouth like someone caught in a flood. The smell brought back long-forgotten memories of my childhood. I heard the sound of water trickling close by. 'Help me sit here and soak my feet in the water. You can fetch me later.' The woman hesitated. 'I wish to be alone, for some time at least.' I listened intently to her...